Tech

See the Apple Commercial That Was Too 'Self-Congratulatory' to Air

Rare footage filmed for a 1980s Apple commercial — but never aired because it was deemed "too self-congratulatory" — appeared on Google+ late Thursday night.

Google staffer Andy Hertzfeld, who was a part of the original Macintosh design team, posted a YouTube video to his Google+ page featuring snippets from the designers. The interviews were recorded in October 1983 and were filmed for a TV commercial that was never used.

"It never aired because Apple deemed it too self-congratulatory, although it was used in some promotional materials sent to dealers," Hertzfeld wrote on his page.

In addition to Hertzfeld, former team members including Burrell Smith, George Crow, Bill Atkinson and Mike Murray make cameos in the clip.

Although the designers speak highly of the Mac, their gushing comments would not be out of place in any of today's keynote presentations at major conferences and press events — not just from Apple but across the tech industry.

"We designed Macintosh really because we wanted one for ourselves and we couldn't get one," said Smith, labeled in the video as a hardware wizard. "Apple turned it into a product to turn the whole world on to what we got. Mac is a big extension who we think we are and where we think we're going, and that's why we designed the product."

Other interviews revealed that Apple sought to make computers affordable to individuals instead of just corporations.

"It had to be easy to manufacture, it had to be very reliable because we didn't want customers to have to ever worry about it failing, and it had to cost roughly one-quarter of anything I've ever designed before," said Crow, former manager of analog design for Macintosh.

The team also touched upon how Macintosh could truly impact the computer world for the future.

"What I think you are going to see is that the balance of power is going to shift from companies running people to hopefully people running companies," said Murray, former marketing manager for Macintosh.

How do you like the ad? Share your thoughts in the comments.

BONUS: Vintage Apple Ads

Vintage Apple Ads That Time Forgot

1. Alligators

What's a good euphemism for the cutthroat world of business? Oh yeah... alligators. Thank goodness someone boats in with a Mac, although we're not convinced with the whole water + electronics sends the right message safety-wise. Unless they were suggesting a new way to really eliminate the competition.

4. Kevin Costner

This shows how much times have changed since the early 80s for Apple. In this case, there's a lot less Kevin Costner and pit bulls. Made in the days before it was branded a "Mac," it's interesting to hear the slogan about the two kinds of people in the world, "those who use computers and those who use Apples." This soon changed for good when the Macintosh line came along. And really how many times have you heard someone say they "use an Apple?" Exactly.

5. The Personal Computer

Just try and follow the complex train of thought here. And while we're on the topic, what's with the lame sound effects?

3. 20th Anniversary Mac

With its unusual design the limited edition T.A.M. was a love it or hate it machine. Although it's now a collector's item, at the time its high price tag made it a commercial flop, and after seeing this overblown ad, we're not surprised.

6. Newton - Restaurant

So the message here is to get a Newton in case the person you're having lunch with turns out to be some kind of psychopath? Huh? And FYI -- if you've interviewed a hundred people for one position then there might be something wrong with your recruitment process.

9. Middle Seat

Not really "vintage," but this ad from 2001 for the iBook, featuring Heros star Milo Ventimiglia as the guy you hope you never have to sit next to on a plane, may well be the reason some PC users have a low opinion of Mac owners.

7. Nightmare

Ever have one of those "forgot to do your homework" nightmares? No, neither have we.

8. The Power to Succeed

Unlike today, many of Apple's early ads focused on the business market in an "anything you can do I can do better" battle with Windows PC. This cringe-worthy ad aired in the UK and offers an awful, caricatured glimpse into the world of business.

10. We Are Apple (Leading The Way)

Not an advert, technically, more a corporate message. This is still unspeakably bad. It's hard to see how Apple made it from this to the ultra cool consumer brand it is today. It makes Apple's success all the more remarkable.

2. Homemaker

Here talk show host Dick Cavett becomes the first celeb to advertise for Apple, although with his blatant sexism we're not sure he's quite a poster boy for the brand. And since career-minded women were featured regularly in early Apple ads, it suggests the female market was a target audience. However, we're not convinced that calling a computer "the appliance of the 80s" would have made that many rush out and buy one.

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